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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29904291">to catch a beast</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_clock/pseuds/Writers_clock'>Writers_clock</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Signed in Crimson [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A bit of violence but it’s not super bad, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Werewolf!Carmen, and yes. Werewolf carmen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:01:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,073</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29904291</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writers_clock/pseuds/Writers_clock</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>VILE lays a trap for Carmen, and Julia is the bait.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Julia "Jules" Argent/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Signed in Crimson [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>to catch a beast</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yes, I’m obsessed with the idea of werewolf Carmen. And yes, I wrote this instead of the next chapter of Morally Red.<br/>Werewolf Carmen is worth it tho</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Julia knew this was a trap. That hurt worse than the chains on her wrists, than the injuries scattering her body, than the cage she was locked in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing that tonight was the full moon, and knowing that VILE had captured her specifically to force Carmen into becoming a beast. Mindless. Easy to trick. Easy to lock in the same cage Julia was in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Julia trusted Carmen, despite the state that she was in. Despite the wounds that cut deep. She could handle this, but Carmen? Would </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>be okay?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure this plan’ll work, Maelstrom?” the woman Julia had come to know was Coach Brunt asked Maelstrom on the screen for the third time. “She’s too clever as a human,” he explained, endlessly patient. “This way, she’ll hurt her beloved ACME agent </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>we’ll capture her. She may be strong, but she can’t bend steel.” He nodded at the contraption set up. It was like a possum trap. As soon as Carmen reached Julia, the door would snap shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A perfect trap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia just hoped she’d be awake when Carmen came. VILE had tried to steal information from her mind, with one of their devices. That was before Maelstrom had this idea, and Julia was turned into bait, but the effects had lasted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The screen clicked away, and Julia was left alone once more. There was a loud crash outside. Julia almost jumped, but she was kind of tied to a chair. A thump. Then another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And suddenly, an ear-splitting howl, one that echoed through the chambers of the warehouse Julia was being kept in, one that echoed off of every wall, one that sent chills down Julia’s spine. The doors burst open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen’s wolf form was enormous. Easily as tall as Julia was, with dark red fur and almost strangely human eyes. Far larger than any werewolf Julia had ever seen - no wonder VILE wanted her back so badly. Her eyes locked onto Julia, and she growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carmen, no-!” Julia shouted, but Carmen was already racing toward her. There was blood on her fur, and she was covered in scratches, but other than that she appeared to be fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It worked like a charm. As soon as Carmen skidded to a stop, directly in front of Julia, the door clicked shut. Carmen paused, sniffing Julia. Her eyes narrowed, and a shot of fear went through Julia. She knew Carmen couldn’t completely control her wolf form.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she trusted her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen crashed into the side of the cage. Again, and again, and again, then bit and pulled at it with her jaws. Julia watched in fear and awe, as Carmen ripped the cage apart. A beast, in every sense of the word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A beast that was kind, and snapped the chains around Julia, that lowered down so Julia could get on and walked calmly out of the cage. Julia blinked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was it really that easy? Was I worried for nothing?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The victory was short-lived, however. As Carmen walked towards the exit, a large figure stood in her path, glaring. Another werewolf - no, three. They seemed to recognize Carmen - old classmates, perhaps?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Julia thought as the all attacked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is going to hurt, isn’t it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She was torn from Carmen’s back and flung into a wall, then everything went black.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen had to get Julia to a hospital.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could feel her labored breathing from where Julia sat in her jaws. Her grip was gentle. Julia was unconscious, couldn’t hold on to Carmen’s fur. This was the only way she could carry her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen had fought off her former classmates, but they’d gotten to Julia a few times. That alone filled her with enough rage to fight them all off and start taking Julia to safety.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her thoughts were strange when she was a wolf. Not quite thought out, not quite </span>
  <em>
    <span>aware. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was driven by feelings and intuition. The desire to save Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After putting some distance between the two of them and the warehouse, Carmen set Julia down. She nudged Julia’s face with her nose, trying to see if she was ali - okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because Julia had to be alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carm… that tickles,” Julia whispered. Carmen’s tail wagged at hearing Julia’s voice. She opened her eyes ever so slightly, smiling at the sight of Carmen. “I’m not in good shape, huh.” Julia’s voice was weak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen whined, as Julia’s eyes slowly closed once more. “Hospital,” Julia murmured. Carmen picked Julia up once more, starting to head towards the nearest hospital. Her eyes settled on the lightening sky. It would be sunrise soon - the fight with the other werewolves had lasted longer than she thought. She was slowly shifting back to human when she saw agent Zari standing outside the hospital up ahead. Julia was in her arms now, still limp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” Carmen begged. Her feral form was fading - she still had a good chunk of the features, but the sun was rising. She’d almost made it to the hospital - </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost </span>
  </em>
  <span>- but she was weak, and couldn’t carry Julia for long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agent Zari glared, pulling Julia away. Carmen swallowed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Those are claw marks on her back. Werewolf claw marks.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, get her inside,” Carmen begged, her eyes turning to the hospital. Her own wounds screamed for attention, but she had to make sure Julia was safe. “Please, I have to-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve done </span>
  <em>
    <span>enough, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ms. Sandiego,” Zari said sharply. Carmen coward, her ears pulling back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I wanted to save her, she - please.” Carmen’s words were hard to get out, were scattering from her head. “You don’t understand, I have to know that she’s okay, I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should have thought of that before you tore her to shreds,” Zari growled, carrying Julia away. Carmen’s blood turned cold. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did… did I do this? No, I couldn’t have. I wouldn’t have hurt Jules.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>… Would I?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carm!” Zack shouted, jogging up to her. He put an arm on her shoulder. “Carm, we gotta get you out of here. You’re in rough shape.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen watched Zari carry Julia into the hospital, watched ACME cars begin to pull up. “But… Jules is…” Carmen protested weakly. Ivy joined the two of them, putting a hand on Carmen’s other shoulder. “Jules…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carmen,” Ivy said softly, “We have to go.” She started to pull Carmen towards the car, but Carmen’s wounds were deep, and her adrenaline was fading. She stumbled, only to be caught by Zack and Ivy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carm-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen couldn’t tell which one of them called her name. Ivy carried her to the car, holding her as Zack started to drive. “I… I didn’t mean to,” Carmen stammered, tears forming in her eyes. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did I hurt Julia? Oh god, am I going to hurt Zack and Ivy too? </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I wouldn’t - you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>I wouldn’t hurt her,” she choked, her bloodied hands grabbing Ivy’s shirt. “I wouldn’t, I promise I wouldn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, Carm,” Ivy whispered, brushing a bit of Carmen’s hair out of her face. “I know. It’s gonna be okay.” She wrapped Carmen in a hug, quietly sobbing into her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen’s arms were weak as she squeezed Ivy back, her hands shaking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When her wounds healed (werewolves healed much faster than humans), she would return to the hospital several times, begging to see Julia. And every time, Zari would turn her away, growing colder and colder each time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen didn’t blame her.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I did hurt her.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I am everything they say I am.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A beast. A monster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poisoning everything she touched, everything she loved.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia woke slowly, dimly aware of what happened. Dimly aware that she was captured by VILE, then saw Carmen, and then…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blank.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her whole body hurt as she slowly opened her eyes. It felt like she hadn’t moved in weeks - which, maybe, she hadn’t. It was hard to tell how long she’d been here, when she could scarcely remember how she got hurt. Was it bad? Was Carmen okay?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zari,” Julia murmured upon seeing her partner, sitting next to the bed. “Hi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Agent Argent,” Zari nodded, a smile cracking on her usually stoic face. Julia knew that Zari was more relieved than she was letting on - the tired eyes and rumpled clothes suggested she’d been here for a while.“You’re awake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Carmen?” Julia asked, shifting a bit in the bed. She blinked, noting the bandages covering her body. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What happened?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Zari’s face grew stoic once more. “She hurt you,” Zari said, her voice dark. “So she’s gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What?!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Julia tried to sit up, but Zari gently stopped her with one hand on her shoulder. “Let me see her.” She had to know if Carmen was okay, had to see her again, had to apologize for getting her in that mess in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia glared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Let me see her,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Julia growled, pushing Zari’s hand away. “Carmen would never hurt me. You don’t know her like I do.” Granted, she didn’t remember what happened, and she knew Carmen couldn’t really control herself in wolf form, but she had trust. Carmen would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>hurt Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Agent Argent, you have multiple werewolf claw marks and bites,” Zari stated, her voice almost chilling. “She dragged you, bloody and battered, to a hospital, just as she became human again.” She crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t mean anything,” Julia protested. “You don’t understand - she </span>
  <em>
    <span>saved </span>
  </em>
  <span>me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve undergone a traumatic experience.” Zari wouldn’t budge. “Are you sure she saved you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-” Julia started, but the words died. She could barely remember what happened. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did… Carmen hurt me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>She shoved the thought out of her head. “Carmen would never hurt me,” she repeated. Zari didn’t look convinced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll let you rest,” she said at last, leaving the room. Leaving Julia with her thoughts. Leaving her with the idea that maybe Carmen </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>hurt her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No. No, this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Carmen. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was a werewolf, but she wasn’t a monster. She protected Julia. Julia just had to trust her, find her again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second Julia was discharged from the hospital, she would search far and wide for Carmen. She wouldn’t stop until she found her.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen had hidden herself for the time being. It was better that way, for her to hide out for a bit. Calm the wolf in her heart, the beast she couldn’t control.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re not a villain, Carm,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Ivy had sighed, but Carmen wasn’t so sure anymore. What was more important, intentions or actions? She couldn’t tell anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She would never hurt Julia. She would never hurt Julia.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please, let her be okay.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Carmen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia’s voice wasn’t angry, which was almost surprising. She had been hiding, Julia found her, barely a day out of the hospital.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Carmen had been keeping tabs on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” Carmen saw Julia’s silhouette on the wall, a shadow from the brightness of the hallway. The hotel room itself was dark - which was fine. She could see in the dark. Carmen sat on the bed, staring at Julia’s shadow and nothing else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t hurt me,” Julia whispered. She walked closer. “Carmen, I know you would never hurt me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But what if I did?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“But-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia put a hand on Carmen’s shoulder. “I’m fine now,” she said softly. “You saved me. I trust you, Carmen.” Carmen wasn’t sure if she deserved that trust. “You’re not who they say you are. I know it, and I know you know it too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen kept staring at the wall. Finally, her eyes turned upwards. Julia was okay. Tired, but okay. She smiled sadly. “Jules, you know I… I love you, but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But what if I hurt you?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Julia shook her head. “You wouldn’t,” she said firmly. “You wouldn’t. I must’ve been…” she trailed off. “It was a trap,” she said, as if realizing this herself. “VILE… they probably intended for you to find me, as a wolf. For… for me to get hurt, so that it would split us apart.” She sat in front of Carmen, taking her hands. “You’ve always protected me, and I trust you. I trust you,” she repeated. “I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A confession. Sweetness in the wake of a bitter storm, a flower blooming in the harsh winter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So please,” Julia begged. “I know you’re not a monster. You’re kind, and strong, and I feel safe with you. Always.” There were tears in her eyes now. “Let me stay with you. Don’t leave.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carmen pulled Julia into her arms. “I promise.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Requests are still open, but like. Idk when I’ll get to it. You can also request fics at my tumblr, birds-controlling-time</p></blockquote></div></div>
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